1 hour before outbreak – 0900
"Good morning from Channel HB News, I am Piper McLean, your news anchor for this morning. Starting off with some local news. A teenager was found dead along Thunder Beach of Zeus district in the wee hours of today. Police stated that while the actual cause of death appeared to be food poisoning, they did not rule out foul play as a possible scenario. Witnesses who wish to provide information to the case, please contact the Zeus Police Department –"
A blonde lady with stormy grey eyes switched off her television and prepared to head out for work. Annabeth Chase is an ambitious architect who had just scored her biggest project in handling a museum design, for the rebuilding of the Imperial Zeus Museum. After working in the field for a couple years, she was absolutely certain that none of her industry competitors could outdo her in terms of structural design and sturdiness. I mean, she did not graduate from the finest architecture school of the whole of Olympus for nothing. More impressively, she managed to do so by graduating in 3 years instead of 4. Today is the day for her to submit the blueprint and nothing is going to stop her from succeeding. Perhaps maybe the zombie apocalypse, but she definitely did not see that coming. Wearing her Louboutin stilettos, she stepped out of her apartment building with bags of blueprints for the project.
15 minutes before outbreak – 0945
"Thank you so much for staying back Will, you managed to save yet another precious life."
"Don't worry about it Michael, it's a doctor's duty. You would have done the same."
The doctors who finished operating on the car crash victims were having their morning coffee in the hospital canteen. The operations went successfully although it took a slightly longer time than usual due to prickly circumstances. Either way, the two doctors have added another life on their saving list.
"I think I should check on the poisoned patients before I go. They seemed really weak." Will said in a concerned tone as he finished his cup of joe.
Michael made a time out signal with his hands, "I will check on them for you, you should go home and sleep. I insist."
Will laughed and patted Michael's back as they parted ways at the lobby. Little did he know that this was the last time he saw his favourite colleague, as a human of course.
Sipping her morning tea, Thalia Grace was so engrossed in the files regarding the latest homicide case that she missed out a text from her bestie Annabeth. Only when someone called her phone did she realise that she had an unread message from an hour ago.
'Hey Thalia, just wanted to let you know that my neighbour's house went full on crazy yesterday with crockery shattering at around 5 plus in the morning. They were a sweet loving young couple so this seems out of the ordinary, maybe you could get your guys to check it out? Oh, and I swear that I heard moans and groans as I left the house, as if they left The Walking Dead on or something. Thanks for the help and I'll meet you soon. Miss you.'
"The Walking Dead huh? Interesting analogy she used there." She picked up her desk phone and dialled in her colleague's number.
"Zoe, do you mind checking out Building 52, unit 6B for me? My friend said that she noted something unusual from that unit. Let me know if anything happens. Thanks."
30 minutes after outbreak – 1030
"Shit, shit, shit. It's freaking happening." Leo panicked as he walked in circles around the living room. He had muted the television and all other sound producing items in his apartment. Despite being temporarily safe in the 21st floor of the building, he could not help being worried about the zombies that he saw live on TV. It was his off day and he was planning to head to Percy's workplace for a swim, when he witnessed the whole outbreak on air. Immediately, he pushed his heavy furniture to block the front door, as well as tall cabinets and wardrobes to barricade the windows. To make things worse, Leo had tried to contact Percy multiple times but it all went to voice mail instead. He could only hope that Percy had escaped as far as possible from the hospital, since his workplace is quite near the area. Trying to calm himself down, the fireman took a deep breath and started to formulate a survival plan.
"Okay, what have I learnt from all the zombie games and TV shows?" He went on a quick memory trip and jotted down the supposed tips and essentials. "Weapons. Food. Drinks. Medical supplies. Clothes. Alright, time to search the house."
With some much needed speed, Leo took out the camping bag that he used during his college days and began to pack his survival kit. He went to the kitchen and retrieved all the sharp tools he could find, including a meat cleaver and some medium sized knives. Next, he collected as many canned food and drinks as he could and wrapped them in his clothes. This would minimise the noise coming from the cans if they hit each other in the bag. He then removed the medical supplies from the first aid kit and stuffed them into the bag's bottom compartment. Just when he thought that he was done, Leo suddenly remembered the alcohols that he and Percy kept in the cupboard beside the fridge. Swiftly, he cut some rags and stuffed them in his back pocket. After putting the alcohol bottles in his bag, he decided to stuff the bottle of cooking oil inside as well. Last but not least, he slid a box of matches into his jeans' left pocket. Just then, he saw his phone flashing with Percy's caller ID and picked it up immediately.
"Oh my god! Percy, thank goodness you're still alive!" Leo exclaimed while tears of joy started forming at his eyes. "Where the heck are you?"
"Leo, I'm making my way up our apartment from the stairs. I guess we have about 10 minutes before the first zombie reaches here. It was a freaking close shave at the stadium and shit–"
"Wait what? Percy?"
"The patient started attacking the nurse?"
"Yes Ma'am. I was heading to the patient's room when I saw the patient lunged at the nurse. I thought he was just being violent but when I took a closer look, his face had changed completely, like – like a zombie. I asked him to raise his hands but he tried to attack me instead, so I shot him in the chest and…"
"And what?"
"…And he kept advancing so I ended up shooting him in the head. The reporters who arrived saw me shoot the patient and they were recording live apparently…"
"Where is your exact location now? I will send back-ups to pull you out immediately."
"Thank you Ma'am, but…please evacuate everyone in Zeus district instead. I have been bitten by another patient who pounced on me while I was talking to the reporters…I have no idea how many people were infected as of now, but the hospital is in chaos. The reporters were dead and I've locked myself in the handicapped toilet."
"Hang in there Phoebe, I'll be right there." Thalia assured as she choked back a sob.
"It's okay Ma'am. It's been a pleasure to work as your assistant…but it's time for me to go now. Sorry for not being able to assist you anymore. Stay safe, Thalia – *gunshot*"
The cool façade of Thalia Grace disappeared entirely after hearing her assistant's last words. She no longer cared about the tough image she portrayed as her tears rolled off her cheeks onto the desk. With her trembling hand, she hurriedly dialled the number of Zoe Nightshade. But, her worst fears came true when there was no answer after multiple calls. Even though her wrenched heart told her to give up, her mind encouraged her with the final moments of Phoebe's demise, to stay safe. She knows that her assistants would not want her to give in just like that. After collecting herself, she wiped the tears off with her leather jacket and instructed her colleagues at ZPD to assist with the district-wide evacuation.
"Remember, saving the people is our priority, unless there is an immediate threat to yourself. Only then, should you retreat." The detective donned her bulletproof vest and loaded her Glock 22. With a face of determination, Thalia Grace stepped out of the ZPD building and headed towards the hospital.
"Shoot them right in the head guys."
